Brighton Hill Community School

Brighton Hill Community School SEN Information Report

BHCS is a mainstream secondary school and we aim to provide our students with a curriculum which is differentiated and accessible to all, regardless of ability or educational needs. We recognise that many of our students will need a little extra help at some point in their school life and that some will require more specific help from our Learning Support Department.Approximately 12% of our students are recorded as having special educational needs. We provide targeted support for students both individually and within specific intervention groups and are committed to providing the most appropriate level of support possible.The Learning Support Department is managed by the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) Helen Macdonald and the Head of Learning Support Wendy Cornelius and is located within the Flexible Learning Centre (FLC). The Flexible Learning Centre (FLC) is a resource centre which brings together Flexible Learning and SEN services, making them front line and centre with inclusion paramount. Lynsey Roche, who is the FLC manager, works in close liaison with the SENCo and Head of Learning Support, which allows us to provide bespoke provision for individual and group work for a wide range of students.

Q: Where can I find Hampshire’s Local offer?

Every Local Authority has a duty to set out in one place the provision that it expects to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people from birth to 25 years of age who have special educational needs and/ or disabilities and also services outside of the area wh...

Q: Who can I contact for further information outside of BHCS?

Additionally, the school liaises with and can refer parents/carers to the following agencies for information and support:
Parent Partnership, offering independent, free advice for parents of children with SEND
IPSEA (Independent Parental Special Education Advice)
The National Autistic Society H...

Q: Who can I contact for further information at BHCS?

A parent/carer’s first point of contact should be the child’s tutor to share concerns
Mis H Heath Head of Year 7 & 8, Zone 7 Teacher & SENCo hheath@brightonhill.hants.sch.uk
Mrs W. Cornelius, Head of Learning Support wcornelius@brightonhill.hants.sch.uk
...

Q: How do we know if it has had an impact?

We see evidence that the student is making progress academically against national/age expected measures and that the gap is narrowing – they are catching up to their peers or expected age levels
The student is achieving or exceeding their expected levels of progress
Verbal feedback from ...

Q: How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

Our provision is arranged to meet our students’ needs, within the resources available. This approach reflects the fact that different students require different levels of support in order to achieve age expected attainment.• Students with special educational needs are identif...

Q: How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s needs?

We ensure that all students with SEND have their needs met to the best of the school’s ability, within the funds available.
The budget is allocated on a needs basis. The students who have the most complex needs are given the most support
...

How will the school prepare and support my child when joining the school and transferring to a new school?

Our goal is to make sure our new students feel like they belong at BHCS before they officially arrive. Learning is most effective when students feel they belong and are comfortable in the school environment. This is achieved through close collaboration with Primary schools or through Parent ...

Q: How accessible is the school environment?

Apart from 6 classrooms in the English Block, the school is all on ground level but some faculty blocks need to be accessed by steps or permanent ramps. However, as not all areas are easily accessible by wheelchair, students who are temporarily incapacitated by ill health and require either a whee...

Q: How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including school trips?

All students are entitled to be included in all parts of the school curriculum and we aim for all students to be included on school trips. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful.
A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off-site activity to ensure everyone&rs...

Q: How will my child be able to contribute their views?

Students’ views are highly valued at the school and their opinions are sought on many areas of school life, as well as their own learning. We use a variety of methods for seeking student views:
The school has an active student council, where students represent their peers. The s...

Q: What SEND training have the staff had or are currently having?

SEND training is an on-going rolling programme of professional development for all of our staff throughout the school year.
We have two ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) who have been trained by and receive regular supervision support from Hampshire Educational Psychology Service.
O...

Q: What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?

The SENCo (Helen Macdonald) has recently gained SENCo accreditation. The Head of Learning Support (Wendy Cornelius) is a specialist dyslexia teacher and is a trained in assessing for Access Arrangements for students undertaking exams or controlled assessments.
The Manager of the FLC (Lynsey Roche...

Q: What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

We have two ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) who have been trained by and receive regular supervisory support from Hampshire Educational Psychology Service. Heads of Year can request this support for their students, when they consider it to be suitable. The areas of emotio...

Q: What is the pastoral, medical and social support available in the school?

The school uses a positive behaviour management system. Every lesson, every student will receive a stamp from the teacher for abiding by the five golden rules:
Uniform
Behaviour
On Time
Equipment
On Task
Stamps are monitored by tutors and are linked to rewards such as the Leavers&rs...

Q: How does the school know how well my child is doing?

Teachers, as part of their professional standards, monitor and review all students’ progress throughout the year. The whole school system at BHCS includes:
Data collection at five points throughout the academic year, from all teachers, showing the current level of attainment of all th...

Q: What are the planned arrangements for communicating between school and home?

Every student has a school planner which travels between home and school every day so that comments from parents/carers and teachers or tutors can be shared and responded to as needed.
Each year group has at least one parents’ evening per academic year, when all subject teachers are availab...

Q: What opportunities will there be for me to discuss my child’s progress?

We offer an open door policy where parents/carers are welcome any time to make an appointment to meet with either a subject teacher, tutor or Head of Year, to discuss how their child is progressing. Parents/carers can contact staff members by various means: directly by email; through the Hea...

Q: How will I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

All students in Years 7-10 complete an interactive reading comprehension test twice per year. The results and recommendations are analysed and shared with all teaching staff, the Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Governors. This ensures that support is targeted correctly and progress is trac...